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In honor of #BannedBooksWeek (and as a furtherance to a Twitter discussion I had last week), I thought I might tell you the story of the time my son (who was 13 at the time) wanted to read Atlas Shrugged.
The thing is... parents (like the one I had the discussion with last week) often try to shield their kids from books that make them (the parents) feel uncomfortable. I get it! I get that you want to protect your kid from the ugly world, and the ugly things in it. The problem, tho
the problem is that your kid *already lives in our ugly world*. And it is our job as parents and educators to prepare them to be adults in this world. We protect them by allowing them to learn about allllll kinds of people and stories.
We protect them by giving them books and stories to stretch their minds and beliefs and imaginations. We protect them by allowing them to make their own choices and decisions about their beliefs. We cannot protect them with dogma.
So my (at that time) 13yo wanted to read Atlas Shrugged. I personally, do not care for that book, and I don not care for the ideas it espouses. BUT I knew my kid and I could have some interesting conversations around it.
Hell, I even BAKED HIM AN ATLAS SHRUGGED BIRTHDAY CAKE when he turned 15. As parents, and educators, this is what we do. We help our kids figure out their own viewpoints, even when we curdle inside. And *that* makes us, as parents, more worldly, too.
Did I love that he was reading this book? Not particularly. But my parents didn& #39;t love all the steamy romance novels I read when I was 15, either. Kids need to read to have a safe entry point into this world we& #39;ve thrust them into. We must trust them to make their way.
Your kids will not always agree with you. You will not always agree with them. THAT& #39;S OK. Books will give them the empathy they need, and the skills they need, to disagree and discuss, rather than fume and hate.
My son is 18 now, and reads everything from Plato to an endless stream of Insta memes. He& #39;s going to vote for the first time in this election. And, you know what? If he *hadn& #39;t* read Atlas Shrugged at 14, he might not have the critical thinking he needs to take apart those memes.
So, yeah, I didn& #39;t tell him no when he wanted to read a book that I don& #39;t agree with. I even baked him a damn cake. If kids learn how to think critically, the world will be better for it. And that& #39;s what we ALL want for our kids, right? A better world.
Addendum: I accidentally blew up his birthday cake (not because of Ayn Rand, but because I got the burners confused on the new-to-me electric stove). I feel like there is a metaphor in this cake explosion, somewhere.
Addendum II: I know my kids& #39; age bounces around in this thread. I was ordering tacos and writing this at the same time. 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đ€Ș" title="Zany face" aria-label="Emoji: Zany face"> (He was 13, turning 14 for Atlas Shrugged. Then at 15 he read the Fountainhead. Those Ayn Rand days are a bit bleary. Ha.)
